European crane giants challenge chinese subsidies at EU

Four leading European mobile crane manufacturers have filed a formal complaint with the European Commission, alleging Chinese competitors benefit from unfair state subsidies that distort the EU market.

Liebherr, Manitowoc, Sennebogen, and Tadano, collectively representing 99% of Europe’s mobile crane industry, are calling for an immediate investigation into imports of cranes capable of lifting at least 30 tonnes. The companies argue that Chinese manufacturers receive extensive government support that enables pricing below European production costs.

“Chinese manufacturers benefit from a wide range of subsidy mechanisms, which gives them a massively unfair advantage when exporting to the EU,” said Christoph Kleiner, Managing Director of Sales at Liebherr-Werk Ehingen.

The complaint, submitted through the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association, emphasizes that mobile cranes are critical infrastructure for Europe’s transport, energy, defense, and emergency sectors.

Manitowoc CEO Aaron Ravenscroft accused Chinese producers of “dumping tactics” causing material injury to European industry, while Tadano Europe’s Noriaki Yashiro called for “swift and decisive action” to restore competitive balance.

The move follows the European Commission’s April decision to impose anti-subsidy duties of 7.3% to 14.2% on Chinese mobile access equipment, including forklifts and aerial lifts. Combined with existing tariffs, duties on such equipment now range from 20.6% to 66.7%.